The smell of sizzling bacon and brewing coffee sets the scene for a leisurely Sunday breakfast, but the once-familiar sound of a rustling newspaper has given way to the sterile tap-tap-tap of tablets and iPhones.
We’ve all heard the mantra print is dead, and while many news consumers lament the perhaps inevitable decline of the traditional hard copy daily, researchers are embracing the move towards digital news consumption by looking closely at developing trends and what this means for journalists.
A recent report conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism surveyed 3,000 adults on their news consumption habits, including which devices they preferred and used most often, and other factors shaping their day-to-day news experience.
In short, news consumption through mobile devices is steadily on the rise: the majority of responders reported that they currently get news through at least one mobile device. Though respondents’ primary household computer, either their desktop or laptop, is still the first place 54 per cent of users turn for news, a growing number of people are getting news from multiple digital devices.
Acting as an additive news experience, results showed 23 per cent of respondents now get news on at least two devices including their primary computer, a smartphone or a tablet, or on all three.